Feel your own growth in the acrobatic movements of "Creative and Evolving Budo
TAIDO is a martial art characterized by acrobatic movements like a combination of karate and gymnastics," explained Tamaki, a first-year student.
I was worried about whether I would be able to do some of the moves, such as backflips and somersaults, but the older students who teach us are very attentive, and the atmosphere in the circle is great, so I am enjoying the activities," she smiles.
At the tournament, there are three types of competitions: "hokei," in which participants compete in the beauty of kata (forms); "jissen," in which they perform kumite by applying techniques on their opponents; and "kaihatsu," in which teams create a performance in which one main character defeats multiple supporting characters who are seen as enemies. Especially, "Kaihatsu," in which the participants fight intensely like a hero show, is a spectacular event unique to tai-budo.
TAIDO is positioned as a "creative and evolving martial art," and although the club members are all beginners because it is a new martial art, before they know it, they are hooked," says Suzaki. I participated in the national student tai-do championships in my second year, and when I won the team competition as an individual for the first time, I felt that I had grown as a person and was filled with emotion," he recalls fondly.
Mr. Saito, who is currently challenging for a promotion examination, says, "When practicing techniques such as backflips, senior students assist me until I can do the basics, so I can practice without worries. Although we don't see each other very often now, before Corona, we would get together at the end of the year for the final practice session, which is very friendly.
Activities are held four times a week. One of those sessions is under the guidance of a graduate coach. We found that using web conferencing tools to show each other how we were training at home was an effective way to practice," says Ohgoshi, the representative of the group. They are able to watch their own videos objectively and compare them with others, making it easier for them to imitate the movements taught by their instructors. The team members also look positively on the restrictions imposed by the Corona Disaster, saying, "We were able to hold joint practice sessions with several other universities and exchange information, which is a memory only online activities can provide.
The common wish of the club members is to let as many people as possible know the appeal of taijutsu. Mr. Saito, who is in charge of public relations, and his teammates are making videos of their practice sessions and introducing their activities on social networking sites (SNS) in an effort to raise their profile.
If you have even the slightest interest, we welcome you to try it out," he says. If you are at all interested, we welcome you.
(First published in the November/December 2021 issue of Hosei, a public relations magazine)
*This interview was conducted online.
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From left in the upper row, Ms. Misaki Okoshi (4th year student, Department of Lifelong Learning and Interdisciplinary Studies, Faculty of Law), Ms. Naho Suzaki (4th year student, Department of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies), from left in the lower row, Mr. Yusei Saito (3rd year student, Department of Law, Faculty of Intercultural Communication), Ms. Shino Tamaki (1st year student, Department of Career Design, Faculty of Law)
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A summer camp aimed at improving physical fitness focuses on strengthening the practice of basic techniques; this is a shot from the 2019 summer camp. The name of the technique being practiced is "Henshin Manji Kick."
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At the university festival in November 2020, one of the main actors performs "kaihatsu," in which he dodges and finishes off the attacks of four supporting actors.
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In June 2021, after sufficient infection control measures had been taken, a picture was taken at a tournament held for the first time in a year and a half. It was a memorable debut for the new members.